


Secrets

by Saoirse_Laochra



Category: Jurassic World (2015)
Genre: Child Death, F/M, Minor Character Death, Owen Grady background story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-12 15:04:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4483934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saoirse_Laochra/pseuds/Saoirse_Laochra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While moving into their new home, Claire finds an unlabeled box, and decides to open it. She learns more about Owen, and his past than she really wanted to.</p><p>One shot for now</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> This was something I threw together last night, a one shot for now, although I might add more to it later if I have time. Un-beta'd, so I apologize for any errors.

Claire sighed as she settled another box down in the small cabin, wiping the sweat off her forehead as she looked at the sides of the cardboard.

“Dammit, Owen,” She muttered. She’d specifically told him to label _all_ of the boxes, making sure to do so herself with all the boxes she’d packed, so they’d know exactly which room to put them in. She’d moved enough times in her life to know that without labels on the boxes, moving could and would turn into a chaotic affair that took weeks or even months to fully settle.

But with Owen grabbing another load of boxes, it’d be at least two, maybe three hours before he returned. So she decided to just open the damn thing and figure out where it was supposed to be.

When she cut the tape, and opened the box, she was surprised to see a medium size chest inside. It almost looked like a small hope chest, although she couldn’t imagine what Owen was doing with such a thing. She thought maybe it belonged to his mother –filled with family heirlooms or something –before quickly discarding the thought. Owen had made his feelings on his family quite clear – a bunch of hateful bastards, they’d disowned him when he’d joined the Navy. So she couldn’t imagine him keeping –or even having –anything belonging to his mother.

A part of her knew she should just leave it be; tape the box back up, and wait for Owen. But the other part of her couldn’t help it: she had to know what was in the box.

So she carefully pulled the ornate chest out of the box, and set it down on the floor, gingerly undoing the latches, and opening the lid.

She couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped her as she peered at the contents. A small teddy bear with a bright pink dress; what she assumed to be champagne glasses wrapped in paper… But most surprisingly, were the two books. One was the garish, bright coloring that kids loved, the spine reading ‘My First Year: Kindergarten at Lura M. Sharp Elementary”, while the other was a soft white, with gold calligraphy reading simply ‘Our Wedding’.

She couldn’t deny the hurt feeling that seemed to be crushing her chest as she pulled the two books out, setting them gently on the floor in front of her. But despite that, she still hesitated when it came to actually opening them.

Owen hadn’t exactly been the most forthcoming about his past; he’d simply told her that his life had started over on Jurassic World, and he didn’t care to think about before. She hadn’t pried, other than asking if she was ever going to meet his parents, which was when he’d told her about his family disowning him. She’d respected that –after all, she was hardly one to divulge all of her own skeletons –but…

Steeling herself, she opened the wedding book first. On the very first page, was a white and gold wedding invitation, the writing clearly feminine, reading, ‘Mr. Owen J. Grady & Ms. Alliyah Handiyal cordially invite you to their wedding’, with a place, date, and time below. With a shaking hand, she flipped the page.

Owen was smiling –a real, mouth splitting smile that she’d never seen on him before –dressed handsomely in his Navy whites, standing next to a tanned woman with dark hair, wearing a beautiful but simple wedding gown.

She slowly traced her hands over the woman’s face. Clearly this was Alliyah, who Claire could safely guess was Arabic. Her long dark hair was flowing over her shoulders, framing a face that smiled every bit as brightly as Owen’s did. Neither of them could have been much past the legal drinking age if that, but they both looked happier than anyone Claire had ever seen before.

As she kept flipping through the pages, it became glaringly obvious that neither bride nor groom’s family had appeared at the happy event. There were a few pictures of women with Arabic names written carefully underneath them, but none shared a name, or even looked remotely like the bride. Otherwise, everyone in the pictures was dressed in Navy whites. The only person she recognized was Barry, Owen’s assistant trainer with the raptors, who was dressed in a uniform she couldn’t identify, but assumed to be some sort of military suit.

Upon reaching the end of the book, she closed it softly, before reaching for the bright blue book beside it.

‘My First Year!’ was splashed across the front in bright green lettering. Underneath was the name of the school, followed by a date, ‘2011-2012’, and a name below that, ‘Elizabeth Lauren Grady’.

Almost reverently, she began turning through the pages until she came to the ‘G’s, quickly locating the picture of the girl who could only have been Owen’s daughter. Even though the little girl had her mother’s skin tone, and dark hair, her grin, and those dancing green eyes were the spitting image of her father’s.

She continued on, until she came to the last few pages, which had apparently all been left blank for each of the kids to draw in. She smiled as she looked at the three stick figures, labeled ‘Daddy’, ‘Me’, and the last ‘Mommy and my not-born brother’. The next page showed a typical child’s drawing of a two story house, with two… well, she was pretty sure they were supposed to be dogs in the front yard.

With a sigh, she closed the book, setting it on top of the wedding album, before picking both books up, and setting them back in the box. As she set them down, she spotted a bundle of newspaper clippings. Carefully, she pulled them out and untied the string holding them together before spreading them out.

She could feel her breath catch in her throat as she read the headline on the first paper in the pile.

_‘Pregnant housewife, and 5 year old daughter murdered in own home.’_

Directly underneath, there was a professionally done picture of the whole family, all smiling. She continued down until she came to the actual article,.

_‘In a gruesome discovery Friday morning, friends found eight-month pregnant Alliyah Grady, and her daughter, five year old Elizabeth dead in their home. Police are still investigating, but several unnamed sources are saying that they were victims of an ‘honor-killing’, a common practice in the Middle East. This practice is used on women who have dishonored the family, typically involving dumping acid over the women’s head. While sources refuse to confirm if acid was used, it has come to light that Mrs. Grady was the daughter of an Afghani warlord who had defected, and given information to the U.S. military before marrying Mr. Owen Grady –a Navy SEAL –and immigrating to the states. Mr. Grady is currently overseas, and was unavailable for comment.’_

Claire couldn’t read anymore. She put the bundle of newspapers back into the box, her vision blurred from tears.

She really wished she hadn't opened the damn box.


End file.
